This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Flow control valves can be operated by a stepper motor to improve repeatability of valve member positions for valves requiring increased accuracy in controlling flow variability between a fully open and/or a fully closed position. Operations requiring an accurate delivery of a fluid volume or pressure to a working device can therefore benefit from the accuracy a stepper motor imparts compared to other known valve actuators. Known flow control valves operated by a stepper motor, however, commonly require a gear system or a multiple directional component drive system to change the rotational force of the stepper motor to a longitudinal force used to translate a valve member to open or closed valve positions. Common operating systems therefore lose operating force in order to drive the multiple parts. The complexity, power loss, and tolerance of the multiple moving parts of known systems also decrease position accuracy and repeatability of the valve position(s) that are beneficial reasons for using stepper motors for valve actuation.